Hondolo Primary School

Project Status

Kenyan Spring Protection

Water that emerges as a spring can be easily tapped and used. Indeed, such sources are often highly desirable for community water supply projects as they can have a high natural water quality and require relatively basic engineering. This is both great news for the implementers (as developing the source is usually straightforward) and great news for the community who will have to look after the project into the future.

Taken as a whole, spring protection is often one of the most efficient and sustainable solution for water supply in small communities.

Rainwater Catchment

Rainwater is collected off strategic areas of a roof, enters a custom guttering system (which filters out debris) and leads to a storage tank. Tanks can vary in sizes and are determined by population and average rainfall patterns. Water can be stored for months, is easily treated in the tank, and is accessible through taps. These projects are implemented at schools with proper roof lines and gutter systems to make them successful.

Rehabilitation Project

Rehabilitation is not just fixing a pump - it’s total community re-engagement.

There’s only one thing we can think of that might be worse than not having safe water: having safe water, and then losing it because a project fell into disrepair.

Rehabilitation often proves to be a big challenge, as many wells have sit idle for years and there is typically little information about the specifics of the well. A borehole and dug well rehabilitation involves quite a bit of discovery. First, our teams work to discover as much as they can about the initial project. What materials were used? Was the borehole/hand-dug well properly constructed? Many of these questions can only be answered by diving in, and doing “the work” which makes up a rehabilitation.

Once our teams have found the problem, they find the solution. Then, they reconstruct the well and install a hand pump.

Engagement and training with communities takes into account rehabilitation was needed and alters the program to suit the needs of the community. After all - engaging with this community in the same way which led to the initial, failed project will not bring new results. Our teams work to understand the social and support reasons leading to initial failure, and make those areas a focus of our ongoing engagement with communities.

Local Leadership

Local leadership is a lasting investment

Sustainable water projects only occur through the presence of local leaders. The Water Project identifies, develops, supports, and partners with local organizations who share our vision of reliable and verifiable clean water. Together, we build water programs that include responsible community development, lasting local solutions and ongoing monitoring and resolution.

Community Engagement

Community engagement is at every step of a water project.

Our engagement is rooted in relationship and includes involving the community in implementation and ongoing support, setting expectations for water point management and ongoing costs, etc. All of this happens before a water project is installed.

We use a term called ABCD: “Asset Based Community Development”. This means the community gets a leading seat at the table. Before we seek to bring anything into the community, we first seek to understand and utilize the assets that already exist within the community.

Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Community education and self-discovery about hygiene and sanitation concepts lead to improved health.

Improved health is always the goal. This is why all our projects include hygiene and sanitation training. We utilize many different methods for this training, depending on the community/institution, program and country. Training topics include disease transmission, personal hygiene and cleanliness, proper disposal of waste and proper water storage methods.

Monitoring and Resolution

Water isn’t a pump. Water is a service. And, it must be reliable.

The known benefits of water are ONLY true if water can be counted on, over time. We love celebrating when a project is complete and a community has access to clean, safe water. However, the ongoing service of water - making water reliable - is how we know our true impact.

The Water Project continues to monitor our water projects, and we provide continued support to make sure water service continues for communities.

Past water projects and the communities they serve are just as important to us as anything else we might be doing in the future.

Project Timeline FAQ

Project Status

We’re working hard to make sure your gifts result in a lasting water project for the community it serves. Our engagement with a community begins many months before construction and lasts years after construction. The timeline here is focused on the physical construction of the water project. There is also training and engagement work that has already started.

Water project construction in the developing world is hard work. A lot of things can and do cause delays - which are normal. We attempt to make our best judgment of when construction will be complete, but the circumstances surrounding actual "in the field" conditions are far from our control.

Weather, supply availability, government paperwork, and progress of community involvement are just a few of the variables that can delay (and sometimes speed up) a project's completion.

We will always tell you if anything changes. And, if you get a notice like this – it’s actually further proof your gifts are being carefully used towards a water project that lasts.

Click icons to learn about each feature.

Community Profile

This project is being implemented by our partner Western Water And Sanitation Forum, and includes the construction of a rainwater harvesting system and sanitation platforms.

Hondolo primary school is located in Ihondolo village, Kakamega County.

The PRA process

After carrying out a baseline of Hondolo Primary school, WEWASAFO engaged in Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with an intention of mapping what resources the community already has that could potentially support the project. A PRA is also a postive exercise to conduct with the community as it focuses on what the community has to offer as opposed to focusing on only what it needs. This exercise is empowering and allows community members to feel realize that they also play a part in their development and have control over doing so, once they identify what they can contribute to the project. This allows the school and community to take part and own the project by contributing locally available materials.

The PRA process was conducted with representation of WASH staff, Ward representative, local adminstration, parents, school board of management and school administration.

Materials mobilization process

The community and the school management committee strugPSgled to mobilize the materials such as hard core, ballast, sand, gunny bags, poles and unskilled labour. WEWASAFO on the other hand through the support of TWP provid all the hardware materials as required by the project. The skilled artisan from WEWASAFO together with the WASH team accompanied the track carrying the materials to Hondolo Primary School.

Due to poor terrain and very bad state of the road to Hondolo Primary school, WEWASAFO had to use more than one means of transport. This involved using a lorry from Kakamega up to the road in Murhanda then they off loaded it to a tractor which could now manouver in the mud to school. Even still with the heavy rains the tractor got stuck several times in the mud causing work to be delayed.

Construction process begun after eventual success of delivery of all materials at Hondolo Primary School.

The implementation of the WASH trainings

The school health and hygiene training was conducted using the Children Hygiene and Saniation training (CHAST) methodologies. This methodology targets training using life skills on behavioural change to children direcly. The children due to their age of 5 -10 years could not grasp the CTC methodology that is a bit complex. We therefor adapted the CTC method to be appropriate for the age group.

The main objective of the school health trainings was to equip the participants with relevant skills on establishment of Child to Child health and hygiene clubs in schools. These clubs were charged with the responsibility of promoting good health and hygiene practices in the school and reaching out to the entire community.

The construction of the tank and VIP latrines

The tank construction is on course and at the moment, the artisans have already done the BRC mounting and plastering will be done within the next fourteen days allowing the process of setting and curring to take place.

2 double door VIP latrines area also under construction at the school. The community is fully surportive. When they are complete, these toilets will a serve a total number of 194 pupils of which 56 are boys, 80 are girls in upper primary with 28 boys and 30 are girls from E.C.D (Early Childhood Development) section.

The two hand washing facilities one for the boys and one for the girls have been installed in the school. These will ensure that good hygiene practices like hand washing with soap thus preventing the water borne diseases.

Completion

WEWASAFO completed this project at Hondolo Primary School in end of October 2014. We will continue monitoring the use of the latrines and water tanks and return for a refresher training at the end of the next 3 months.

Project Updates

11/17/2014: Hondolo Primary School Project Complete

We are excited to report that, thanks to your willingness to help, Hondolo Primary School in Kenya has a new source of safe, clean water. A rainwater harvesting system has been installed and the community has received training in sanitation and hygiene. Together these resources will go a long way toward stopping the spread of disease in the area. We just posted a report from our partner in the field including information about the community, GPS coordinates, and pictures of the project.

Take a look, and Thank You for your help!

Project Photos

Project Type

Rainwater is collected off strategic areas of a roof, enters a custom guttering system (which filters out debris) and leads to a storage tank. Tanks can vary in sizes and are determined by population and average rainfall patterns. Water can be stored for months, is easily treated in the tank, and is accessible through taps. These projects are implemented at schools with proper roof lines and gutter systems to make them successful.

Contributors

Jigger Infestation: A case study of Mary and Mesharck from Hondolo

November, 2014

“I remember one day when Mary fainted. We immediately administered first aid and when the parent was called she admitted that they never had supper the previous night and also breakfast that day. It was so sad.”

15th October 2014

Mary Muhongo and Meshack are pupils at Hondolo primary school, Shinyalu constituency where WEWASAFO is constructing Rain water harvesting tank and VIP latrines. The school was prioritized as a needy school in terms of water and sanitation after WEWASAFO wash team conducted a baseline survey. The two pupils come from a family of twelve children and almost all of them have been infested by jiggers. Mary is the ninth born in the family. She is fourteen years old and in class two. Mary has a mental problem that is why at her age, she is still in class two when she is supposed to be in class eight under normal circumstances.

The teachers in Hondolo Primary School said that after teaching they need some time with her to make her understand better what others have learned. She is the daughter of Paul Lumwanji and Selina Spoon. Mary has been at Mukulusu Special School for children with special needs. She had to drop out of school due to lack of school fees. Due to poverty, her parents were not in position to raise the required amount of fees and other special tools needed to support the young girl.

Meshack Ambani (in the picture above), Mary’s brother said their mother has been sick for the last three years, so they are forced to do domestic chores after school. That contributes to their poor performance in school.

Their parents are all jobless and that makes life harder for them. The Deputy Head teacher of the school admitted that life has never been that easy for the family. They used to live in a grass thatched house which leaks terribly during rainy season. Because of this, community members were forced to contribute to build a roof over their heads. He further stated that their parents are not able to pay five hundred shillings (roughly $5.50 USD) for their three children Mary, Meshack and Eddah who are at Hondolo primary. “I remember one day when Mary fainted. We immediately administered first aid and when the parent was called she admitted that they never had supper the previous night and also breakfast that day. It was so sad.” the deputy head teacher said. He also admitted that the cases of jigger infestation in the school are on the rise and he is appealing for help because the school is still young and the parents around the school are poor. “Water will soon be available in the school and I hope this will improve the sanitation in the school and the surrounding community”. The deputy Head Master added.

The project is funded by THE WATER PROJECT – USA and implemented by WEWASAFO